“Madrid will never again play a match without 72 hours’ rest.” This was the forceful statement made by Real Madrid, via their official television channel, regarding the lack of rest with which Ancelotti’s team faced the league match against Villarreal. ‘Madrid will never play a match under these conditions,’ they said on Real Madrid TV.
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed the statements made on the club channel after his team’s win against Villarreal, in which the Whites recovered from Foyth’s early goal to score twice through Kylian Mbappé.
“The explanation I give is that this team has character and commitment. They can’t always do it, sometimes I get angry with them, but they have made a fundamental effort. We will never again play a game with less than 72 hours’ rest. We have asked the league twice and nothing has happened, but this is the last time.
Less than 67 hours passed between the end of the penalty shootout at the Metropolitano and the kick-off at La Cerámica. 69 and a half if we stick to the schedule set for the start of each of the games.
Real Madrid and Real Betis, both with eighteen, are the two teams from the five major European leagues that play the most matches with a rest time of less than 72 hours between them, followed by Tottenham Hotspur and Real Sociedad, both with 15 each, according to data provided by BeSoccer Pro for EFE.
In the case of the Whites, the balance is 13 wins, one draw and four defeats; with 45 goals scored and 21 conceded. Real Madrid also has the highest percentage of victories in this type of match, 72.22%.